Base water bill has nearly doubled since 1997 in Zanesville, part of national trend

2:13 AM,
Oct. 6, 2012

Zanesville water department Superintendent Paul Mills looks at a gauge at the city's water treatment plant. When the city opened its new water plant in December 2011, it converted from gas chlorine treatment to sodium hypochlorate, which comes in powder form. The powder is much safer than gaseous chlorine and reduced the cost of the building the plant. The cost of sodium hypochlorate has been rising, however, and the city has been forced to pass the cost on to water customers.

Written by

Kevin McCoy
USA Today

While most Americans worry about gas and heating oil prices, water rates have also surged in the past dozen years, according to a USA Today study of 100 municipalities and local statistics.

Prices at least doubled in more than a quarter of the locations and even tripled in a few municipalities such as Atlanta, San Francisco and Wilmington, Del.

In Zanesville, the base water bill has nearly doubled from a $7.84 bi-monthly bill per unit in 1997 to the $13.38 base amount approved in Nov. 2010, according to City Utility Supervisor Debbie Wall. ...